PMC to file criminal cases if malls charge for parking

TNN | Jun 21, 2019, 04.17 AM IST

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will file criminal cases against malls and multiplexes found charging visitors for parking.The civic body has issued notices to errant establishments, directing them to refrain from charging visitors a fee to park their vehicles on their premises.

“As per the building permissions given to these establishments, it is their duty to provide parking space for visitors. They can’t charge for the service,” city improvement committee chief Amol Balwadkar told reporters on Thursday.

“If citizens are getting harassed under the garb of parking charges, the civic body will file criminal cases against the errant malls and multiplexes,” Balwadkar added.

He said citizens can approach the civic body with complaints in this regard — they can register their grievances on the online complaint redressal system as well as with the PMC’s call centre, after which action will be initiated.

“We have learnt that the malls have started levying ‘management’ charges. Even that will not be entertained,” Balwadkar added.

The committee had last week passed a resolution directing such establishments to allow visitors to park vehicles for free. As per PMC’s data, 15 multiplexes and 40 shopping malls operate in the city, and a majority of them charge for parking — the fee ranges from Rs10 to Rs20 per hour for four-wheelers and Rs5-10 for the same duration for two-wheelers.

Municipal officials said the civic body is drawing from case law to provide free parking for vehicles, especially directives issued by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh high court to malls in a petition about public parking filed in 2003.